The Effectiveness of Teaching Problem Solving through Nonroutine Problems supplemented with Mathematical Process Thinking

This study investigated the effectiveness of teaching problem solving through daily exposure to nonroutine problems. Two fourth grade classroom\u27s from different school districts, but using the same math series, constituted the experimental and control groups. The experimental group briefly focused on the lesson in the textbook and then spent one-half hour periods solving nonroutine problems. This was supplemented with a mathematical process-thinking explanation. Their results were compared to the control group, which followed the textbook approach to solving problems. Four chapters, multiplication, division, geometry, and measurement, were taught over the four-month period. The results showed a significant difference when nonroutine problems are taught daily